Amusement apparatus



Sept. 2.1924! J. H. PAPPAS AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed'SeDt. l8 1 2 Sheets-Sheet, l

OOOGOOOGO OOOOOOOO' OOOOOOOOOO Sept 2 1924.

1,5fi6,940 J.- H. PAPPAS AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed sebt. 18, 2 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N vE/vraH ht PAP/ A5 Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED sTArEs JAMES H. PAPPAS, OF SAN rnAlvcisoo, CALIFORNIA, A SSIGNO'R. or FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

JOHN BO YAJIAN. OF SAN AMUSEMENT 1,506,940 PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS.

Application filed September 18, 1922. Serial No. 588,924.

To'all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES I-I. PAPPAS, a subject of the King of Greece, residingat San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Amuse-- ment Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. I I

The present invention relates to novel amusement apparatus which is capable of a variety of effective uses in connection with places of amusementor as an-amuse- 'ment device itself, the principal object being to provide an apparatus through the use of which, persons may be paired, each couple without the knowledge of the identity" of one another until the pairing has been effected.

An object of'the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described which -may be used as an 'entranceway for places of amusement such as dance halls or the like, the arrangement being such that persons using the entranceway must. pass on opposite sides. of a screen or-partition, which will prevent persons on one side from seeing persons on the other side, there being suitable means operatively associated with the partition in such manner" that said persons may obtain partners without the knowledge of the identity of the partner, thus making it possible to prevent said persons from changing partners.

-The invention further takes into consideration the pairing off of couples in the manner desired, through the medium of flexible tie members, which membersmay 'be employed to secure or to lock the persons of each couple together, thereby preventing the changing of partners.

The invention also includes a novel amusement system or method of pairing persons for participation in various forms of amusement without permitting the persons to select partners of their own choosing, thus causing an element of chance to enter into the selection of partners and providing a highly amusing procedure which will provoke many funny and ludicrous situations.

The invention possesses other advantages and features some of which, with the foregoing will be set forth at length in the following description where I shall outline in full that formof theinve'ntion which I 5 passageways 4; and Various means 7 may have selected for illustration in the draw ings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification. In said Idrawings I have shown certain forms of the "construction of my invention, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such forms since the invention as expressed in the claims may be embodied in a-plurality of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1- represents a semi-diagrammatic View in top plan in a. place of amusement such as a dance hall, showing one wayof employing the apparatus of my invention. Fig. 2 is a. perspective view of a part of the apparatus'o-f the invention.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a part of the apparatus of the invention, a moving platform or floor being incorporated therewith,

the floor proper being shown in section Fig. 4 represents a vertical sectional view of the device of the invention showing a. couple as appearingwhen paired, and the conveyor or floor incorporated with the apparat-us.

In the accompanying drawings'in Fig. 1,

there is shown the general floor plan of a longitudinal slot or opening 8 extending fro-m a point near the outer end thereof through to the inner end of the partition. Thisslot or opening 8 provides for-pairing off couples as thelatter pass throughthe be employed for causing the couples to befpaired' insuch manner that neither partner is aware of the identity of the other.. This may be carried out by mounting in the slot or opening 8, a 'plurality of slidable members 9 which extend into both passageways and are adapted to betaken hold of or in some manner utilized n by the persons in the passageways in order to pair off said persons. Preferably, the members 9 are flexible and have at the ends thereof suitable wrist clamps 10, similar to the ordinary hand-cuff, or if desired, an ordinary ring through which the hands of the persons may be inserted. Preferably the lower side of the slot or opening is notched at predetermined points as at 11, so as to space the members 9 a predetermined distance apart. when the latter are arranged for use. I

In operation of the apparatus, persons having purchased tickets at the kiosk 2, separate, the men on one side and the ladies on the other, and pass thus separated into the passageways 4 and 5. "The selection of the members 9 by the couples is subject to the choice of each person. The persons attach the ring or wrist clamp to them, or in some manner take hold of the members 9, without knowledge of the identity of one another and then proceed through the passageway to the place of amusement, in this instance, the dance floor 6. Upon such passing of the couples, the chains or members 9 will move through the slot 8 and when the couples reach the end of the partition, their identity will be revealed to one another and the couples or partners may then'take part in the dancing or other amusement, as the case may be.

In Fig. 1, there is shown a platform 12 such as used for the orchestra, and at some suitable point on the. dance floor will be selecting or pairing off apparatus as shown at 13, which apparatus corresponds to the one in the passages t and 5. After the couples have finished a dance, they may retire to the apparatus 13 on the dance floor,

and cause the members 9 to enter the groove 01' opening 8 with the men on one side of the partition and the women on the other.

Couples thus still paired, either releasethemselves from the connecting members 0 or an attendant may effect the release, and the members 9 will remain in place in the apparatus 13. The couples then pass out through the passageways provided at the apparatus 13 and enter said passageways again in a diversified order so that different persons will be matched or paired for the next dance or period of amusement.

As shownin Figs. 3 and A, there may be provided a traveling platform or floor, generally designated 1%, which platform or floor may be in the nature of an endless belt 15, traveling'over a supporting floor section 16. The persons to be-paired will be advanced when stepping on the movable platform or endless belt, thus enhancing the amusement factor. It will be seen that a variety of arrangements may be resorted to as a means for moving the participants throughout the time of pairing them and after such pairing has been effected.

Chairs may be mounted at properly designated points on the apparatus or various other arrangements may be resorted to, it being thought unnecessary to illustrate these arrangements since it ,is obvious that they maybe employed within the scope of the present invention.

Another way in which the apparatus may be employed is for the ticket seller or attendant to give to the participants checks, or tickets having duplicate numbers or symbols, the duplicate checks or tickets being distributed without any regard as to the pairing of the couples except when the latter have entered thepassageway or have gained entrance to the place of amusement, such as thedance floor. The holders of the tickets may insert them through the slot or opening in the partition and in this way match the duplicate tickets so as to pair the participants. I

The apparatus of the invention is simple as to construction and arrangement, is inexpensive and requires little or no attention or upkeep expense when in use.

The invention provides a method ofintroducing persons to one another in an interesting and amusing manner, in that the couples or participants are not aware-of the identity of one another until they are paired, or the identity may remain unknown until a predetermined time has elapsed following their being paired. I

I claim:

1. Amusement apparatus comprising an upright screen memberalong opposite sides of which persons are adapted to pass in such manner that the persons on one side of the screen are not visible to the persons on a the other side and vice versa, members slid able on the screen with portions of the mem-' bers disposed on opposite sides thereof in order that. they may be grasped or in some manner associated with the persons on opposite sides of said screen to designate, without knowledge of the identity of one another, partners for participation in said amusement and means associated withfsaid members for locking. said members tothe said persons. 1

2. Amusement apparatus embodying in its construction a screen along opposite sides of which lines of persons are adapted to pass, said screen being constructed so that the persons passing on opposite sides thereof are not visible toone another and'havadapted to be associated with the persons to designate without knowledge of the identity of one another, partners for participation in some form of amusement.

Amusement apparatus embodying in its construction a screen along opposite sides of which lines of persons are adapted to pass, said screen being constructed so that the persons passing on opposite sides thereof are not visible to one another and having a slot therein opening at one end thereof and flexible members slida'ble in and removable from the slot with portions disposed on opposite sides of the screen, which members are adapted to be associated withlthe persons to designate Without knowledge of the identity ofone another, partners for participation in some form of amusement.

4. Amusement apparatus embodying in its construction a screen along opposite sides of which lines of persons are adapted to pass, said screen being constructed so that the persons passing on. opposite sides thereof are notvisible to one another and having a slot therein opening at one end thereof and flexible members slidable in and removable from the slot with portions disposed on opposite sides of the screen, which members are fixed to the persons to provide for pairing Off of partners without knowledge of the identity of the partners until said members have been moved out of said slot.

5. Amusement apparatus comprising an upright screen member along opposite sides of which persons .are adapted to pass in such manner that the persons on one side of the screen are not visible to the persons on the other side and vice versa and members slidable on the screen with port-ions of the members disposed on opposite sides thereof in order that they may be grasped or in some manner associatedwith the persons on opposite sides of said screen to ides ignate, without knowledge of the identity screen having a slot in which said flexible elements are movable, said slot being unob structed, open at the ends of the screen and substantially waist high.

disposed on opposite sides of the screen,said 

